The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-06-07
The Republican Party and Prohibition.

The Republican Party and Prohibition.
The New York Prohibitionists intend to
nominate candidates for all Offices in all
parts of that State next fall. This inten-
ton alarms the Republicans of that State
and of the whole country. It alarms the
Republicans of the State because it indi-
Gates their defeat by the Democrats, and
it alarms the Republicans of the entire
country because it renders the success
of their national ticket next year extreme
ly doubtful.
The Prohibtionists of New York do not
of course hope to achieve any notable vic
tories at the polls next fall. Perhaps all
they aim to do is to increase their strength
and hold their voters together for the
national contest next year They are in
earnest and are apparently confident that if
they make no serious mistakes they will be
able in the near future to dictates whatever
legislation they please for the liquor traffic
In the Northern States the Prohibitionists
are largely drawn from the Republican
party. That party doesn't care how many
of its members become Prohibitionists pro
vided they vote tho Republican ticket The
vote that ticket unless the Republican party
accepts prohibition. That party, however,
dares not do anything of that kind. If it
should declare for prohibition it would do
itself more harm than if it should take an
out and out position against it.
Mr.. Chauncey M. Depew, who has been
spoken of as a Republican candidate for the
Presidency, said in a recent speech in Chi
cago that the Republican party must satisfy
the Prohibitionists by meeting the tenn
perance issue squarely and courageously.
1t must, he said, advocate higher tax on
the liquor traffic He doubtless knew when
he made these statements that it could do
nothing of the sort without very great
loss of strength. The statements, however,
were an admission that the party would
soon be in a hopeless minority unless it
found some way to check the drain which
prohibition was making upon it,
The Republican organs in New York and
other States are begging the Prohibitionists
not to desert the Republican party, because
it is earnestly striving TO do what they want
DONE The fact is pointed out that the Re
publicans of the New York Legislature
lately passed the Crosby and Vedder high
license bills, and the Prohibitionists are
asked if these bills do not show that they
can depend upon the Republican party for
all the legislation they need for the sup
preston of the liquor traffic
The Prohibitionists however, are too
shrewd not to understand that the Republi-
cans are trying to deceive them. Neither
the Vedder nor the Crosby bills were in
tended to become laws. They possessed ia
tai defects of which the Republicans were
well aware, and the Governor was bound to
veto them.
In Massachusetts, the Republicans tried
also to make dupes of the Prohibitionists.
Their agreement to put a prohibitorv
amendment in the constitution was meant
to deceive. If the Republican tactics
in other States with regard to
prohibition is studied the same insincerity
will be discovered. The Prohibitionists are
not SO simple as to be caught by the trans
parent schemes of the Republicans. They
resent the assumption upon which these
schemes are based. They would much
rather the Republicans would take posi-
ton of open hostility to them than TO pro-
coed upon the idea that they can he
duped into supporting the Republican party.
Notwithstanding the pretense, therefore, of
the Republican party, of being friendly to
the temperance cause, the Prohibition
lists viii have nothing to do with it, They
will fight their battle alone and in doing so
they are pretty certain to do it incalculabe
damage. They will draw off from it next
year enough votes to prevent it from carry
ing New York, and without that State it
cannot elect its Presidential ticket.